Julio Cesar Chavez Jr and

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Ruiz-Parker Final Presser Quick Quotes

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Photo of the day

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Jones-Gunn: Skill vs. Will

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Jones Jr. – Gunn Kickoff

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In a huge upset, previously unbeaten German heavyweight Steffen Kretschmann (13-1, 12 KOs) was unexpectedly knocked out in the opening round on Friday night at the Hermann-Neuberger-Halle in Voelklingen, Germany, by seemingly shop-worn Russian veteran Denis Bakhtov (30-5, 19 KOs), who was however ranked #14 by the WBA. Kretschmann started the fight aggressively, rocking Bakhtov in the corner and putting him in danger. Suddenly Bakrov connected with a huge right, badly wobbling the German fighter. Surprisingly, referee stopped the time without any reason, saving Kretschmann occassionaly. Not for long though, as Bakhtov connected with a thunderous right hook at the end of the round, dropping the German on canvas. Kretschmann barely stood up but showed no desire to continue thus forcing the referee to stop the fight declaring a TKO 1 win for Bakhtov, who retained his PABA title in process.
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Middleweight Dmitry Pirog (14-0, 11 KOs), who was previously ranked #3 by the WBO and #14 by the WBC, presented a world-class masterpiece in dismantling former two-time world title challenger Kofi Jantuah (32-4-1, 21 KOs) over twelve one-sided rounds. Pirog showed both tremendous technique and good stamina to continue his powerful assaults throughout the whole card. Dmitry connected numerously with his uppercuts, adding huge left and overhand right hooks on several occasions. He was almost flawless in his defence, neglecting rare Ghanaian left hooks and using body movement to avoid Jantuah’s right hands. Pirog got tired a bit in the mid rounds but he just couldn’t stop delivering bombs. The Ghanaian fighter, however, showed an enormously armed chin to take so many Pirog’s punches. The only moment he got was at the very end of the twelfth round but it was only enough to wobble Pirog slightly and the Russian fighter, delivering the best performance of his pro career, easily survived till the end. At the end, all three judges had it loopsidedly for Pirog, 120-108 (twice) and 119-109. Fightnews scored it 119-110 for the Russian, who is expected to rise high in the rankings. Pirog is the new WBC international middleweight titlist as well.
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WBC/WBO #2 British/Nigerian cruiserweight Herbie Hide (48-4, 43 KOs) barely used several percent of his full potential in destroying hugely overmatched Hungarian club fighter Gabor Halasz (26-13, 10 KOs) in three horribly one-sided rounds. Despite being by far stronger and better fighter, Hide didn’t hesitate to use excessive fouling, including punching at the back of the head, much of it being induced by Halasz’s spins around. The Hungarian was down in round one and badly cut in round two. The end came at 2:20 of the third round after a devastating left half-a-hook-half-an-uppercut and right hook combination.

All is ready for the WBA super featherweight title match between the Mexican Josafat Perez and the Venezuelan champion Jorge Linares on Saturday in Plaza de Toros, Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico. Both boxers are in good condition and set to enter the ring of the 10,000 seat arena in a bout televised by Cadena Tres, Multimedios & Sky TV.

Air tight boxing returns to the Paladium in Denver on Saturday due to an unexpected event: sold out tickets. The venue, which holds under 1,000 fight fans, hasn’t seen boxing since July 10th of ’08, and the tickets are almost gone and with good reason. The main event will pit Colorado’s 130 pound champ Juan Santiago (7-2-1, 5 KOs), against the Fort Morgan Mauler Stevie Marquez, (8-13-1, 6 KOs) in a bout that will see Santiago walk the ‘high wire’ to avoid the heavy handed Marquez. Marquez has upset prospects in the past including Tony Morales and a devastating KO over Jesus Noriega. (more…)

World class professional boxing hits Youngstown, Ohio this Saturday night, June 27th, as TKO Boxing Promotions presents the Steel Valley Rumble, at the Campbell Memorial Field House . . . . . Click here for more

Undefeated world title contender Olivier Lontchi is “devastated” by the news of Michael Jackson’s death. Lontchi (18-0-2, 8 KOs), a native of Cameroon, who fights out of Montréal, Québec, Canada, challenges undefeated WBO junior featherweight champion Juan Manuel “Juanma” Lopez (25-0, 23 KOs), of Caguas, Puerto Rico, in the main event of “Latin Fury 9” on Saturday in Atlantic City. Promoted by Top Rank, the four-bout “Latin Fury 9” will be broadcast Live on Pay-Per-View, beginning at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT. “Lontchi came up to me this morning and specifically asked Top Rank’s technical crew to download as many of Michael Jackson’s songs as possible to play in his locker room tomorrow night for inspiration,” said Lee Samuels of Top Rank. “Michael Jackson is his all-time favorite artist and Olivier is making his ring entrance to Jackson’s “Thriller” music video which will be projected inside the Adrian Phillips Ballroom. I wouldn’t be surprised if he moonwalked into the ring.”

IBF #3, WBC #7, WBO #13 Sakio Bika is all set to defend the IBO super middleweight title against former WBA super middleweight champion Anthony Mundine. Bika’s trainer David Birchell said the Mundine camp is interested in challenging Bika.”You have to give Mundine credit because he is willing to take the fight against Sakio,” Birchell said. Bika commented, “The Mundine camp is looking for ‘Choc’ to fight the best fighters in Australia and the world, so he is willing to take the bout. The only stumbling block now is the people in America who run The Contender. I am so happy to think it could happen. To beat Mundine would make me a real hero [in Australia]. If I could fight Mundine it would help me build my name here. It could help more people get behind me. It would be huge.” (more…)

The highly anticipated 12-round welterweight showdown between Floyd Mayweather and Juan Manuel Marquez has been officially rescheduled for September 19, after Mayweather, who suffered a rib injury while training for the originally scheduled July 18 date, received clearance from his doctor to participate on the new date. Mayweather vs. Marquez: “Number One/Numero Uno,” which will still take place at MGM Grand in Las Vegas and be televised live on pay-per-view.
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“I am relieved to be cleared to fight as I was already looking forward to getting back in the ring,” said Mayweather. “Trust me, September 19 is a great weekend for boxing, and all of my fans, of which there are many Mexicans too, can certainly hold on to their hats and sombreros when I get back in to the ring and show them what they have been missing these past 18 months. I will destroy Marquez and reclaim my rightful place as boxing’s pound-for-pound king all in one night. Don’t miss it.”
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Marquez, who has also agreed to fight on the new date, is excited about appearing yet again on the time-honored tradition of El Grito de Independence. “I am happy that Mayweather has been cleared to fight and we can get down to business on September 19,” said Marquez. “This weekend is not just an important weekend for boxing, but even more so for all of the Mexican and Mexican-American people I will be fighting for who will have a great reason to celebrate my win over Mayweather, which will be for all of the people and for the entire country of Mexico that night. I am sure of victory and si se puede- yes we can and yes we will!”

WBO light middleweight champion Sergiy Dzinziruk (36-0, 22 KOs) has commented to Fightnews.com on a possible September showdown with Paul Williams (37-1, 27 KOs), the two-time welterweight champion who currently holds an interim version of Dzinziruk’s belt. “Yes, I know that my promoters are negotiating for a fight against Paul Williams, but I haven’t received a lot of information from Universum yet. Williams is very good boxer and I want to fight him. His last fights against Verno Phillips and Ronald Wright amazed me. A fight with him is a big opportunity for me. It will be a tremendous fight and I’m ready for it. I think that the fight against him will be official next week. My next fight was supposed to be against James Kirkland and I wanted that fight, but he ended up in prison and the fight didn’t take place. Now for me the overall objective is Williams. The fight is planned to take place in California and be on HBO. For a long time I have dreamed of proving myself in an American ring and I won’t miss this chance. Now I’m training in the Ukraine and as soon as I know the date of the fight against Williams I’ll leave to Germany for preparation.”

Former WBA cruiserweight world champion Firat Arslan (29-4-1, 18 KOs) was injured in a bike accident during his training camp for his comeback fight. Arslan was training with his racing bike in the Austrian alps near Kössen when a tractor pulled out onto the main road. He managed to escape a frontal crash but flipped over his bike and fell onto the asphalt, suffering several bruises to his body. Luckily he was wearing a helmet. Arslan was taken to hospital for further examination and released. The injuries will not affect the boxing career of Arslan, but the former cruiserweight champion will take some time to recover and then return to training as soon as possible.

Shorter but speedy Nanako Kikuchi (10-3-1, 3 KOs), 107.5, acquired the vacant female OPBF 108-pound belt as she took the initiative from the outset, withstood a last surge of taller footworker Kayoko Ebata (2-2, 1 KO), 108, and earned a unanimous decision (97-94 twice and 96-94) over ten two-minute rounds on Friday in Tokyo, Japan. They were far from elegant Japanese ladies, swapping hot rallies all the way. The more experienced Kikuchi, 34, dominated the contest, leading on points: 39-37 twice and 38-38 after the fourth and 68-66 twice and 68-65 after the seventh. Ebata, 33, displayed her desperate retaliation in the final stanza, almost toppling the fading veteran with good shots. It was the first female OPBF title bout under the Japanese OPBF administration. Promoter: Shirai Gushiken Promotions.

The American Association of Professional Ringside Physicians (AAPRP) announced today its 2009 AAPRP Award recipients. They are as follows:Ringside Physician of the Year
Dr. Anthony Alessi (Mohegan Sun/Foxwoods)Administrator of the Year
Melvina Lathan (NYSAC)Outstanding Contribution to Boxing
Peter King (US Congressman)Distinguished Educator of the Year
Dr. Patricio ReyesLifetime Achievement Award
Arthur Mercante, Sr.Media Award in Ringside Safety
Harold Lederman
The 2009 AAPRP Medical Seminar on Ringside Safety, (in cooperation with Norwalk Hospital), will take place October 15-17 at the Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, Connecticut. These awards will be presented on October 16 at the AAPRP’s annual awards banquet.

The media turnout was huge on Wednesday afternoon as television stations and sportswriters came from all over Central and Western Pennsylvania to attend the press conference officially announcing the signing of undefeated cruiserweight Andres “TaylorMade” Taylor to an exclusive promotional contract with Chet Koerner’s TKO Boxing Promotions . . . . Click here for more

Two of the UFC’s finest, light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida and middleweight champion Anderson Silva will compete against boxers Manny Pacquiao and Shane Mosley for ESPN’s 2009 ESPY award for Best Fighter . . . More

Current UFC middleweight contender and former two-division PRIDE champion Dan Henderson will be the special guest on Friday’s edition of Jim Rome is Burning on ESPN TV. Rome will be discussing the UFC 100 card with Henderson, who faces Michael Bisping in a highly-anticipated clash of Ultimate Fighter coaches. Tune in for the LIVE interview segment at 4:30pm ET/1:30pm PT on Friday June 26th . . . More

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When asked what fans tuning into this weekend’s “Latin Fury” should know about Olivier Lontchi, the undefeated fighter who meets Juan Manual Lopez for the WBO super-bantamweight title simply said, “Watch me. Watch me fight. I don’t know the result, but I know it’s going to be an amazing fight.” (more…)

“I wish the best for Chris, and I hope he recovers soon,” says countryman Daud Cino Yordan, now #3 WBA and #2 WBO in the featherweight division. “For the next fight I expect he will consider me as his next opponent.” Yordan has been calling out WBA featherweight champion Chris John for two years, but so far John’s camp has shown little interest. John and Yordan are currently the most popular prizefighters in Indonesia. They were supposed to fight on Saturday in different places in the world. John was to fight Rocky Juarez in Los Angeles, but this fight was cancelled due to John’s sudden blood sickness just a week before the fight night. In the other part of the globe, Yordan (23-0, 17 KOs) will fight Filipino Robert Allanic (17-5-2, 9 KOs) in Pontianak, West Kalimantan, Indonesia, for the interim WBO Oriental featherweight title. Yordan’s camp stated that this fight would be Yordan’s tune up fight before his next fight that would be a world title fight. Theevent is promoted by Daniel Bahari Promotions in corporation with Mahkota Promotions. About this fight, Yordan stated that he has prepared for three months, and he believes to win this fight in a convincing way.

Bob Duffy’s Ring Promotions will return to the Plattdeutsche Park Restaurant on Saturday, July 18, it was announced today by the promotional firm’s president Bob Duffy. The 11-bout fight card will be held outdoors and will seat up to 4,000 guests. Barbecued food and cigars will be available for purchase, and following the main event a live band will perform. Former NY State Welterweight Champion Mike Ruiz will headline the evening of boxing when he battles Manuel Guzman in a six round contest. This will be Duffy’s fifth fight card at Plattdeutsche. His last event, May 8, 2009, sold out Plattdeutsche’s indoor venue. (more…)

Through The Ropes – the #1 boxing news radio show that is hosted by award winning boxing writer Marc Lichtenfeld – airs LIVE coast to coast each Thursday evening from 9pm thru 10pm ET on 75 affiliates of the Sports Byline USA Broadcast Network, including great radio stations like KSHP 1400 AM in Las Vegas and WNSR 560 AM in Nashville. The one-hour show is also available on the American Forces Network and Sportsbyline.com. Plus Fightnews.com readers can listen LIVE by CLICKING HERE between 9 pm to 10 pm ET this Thursday. Call-in or email your questions to: ttropes@earthlink.net

Middleweight Shannan Taylor (49-7-3, 35 KOs) is one of Australia’s most colourful and controversial fighters with his personal story outside the boxing ring which is often seen as a bigger victory than his 59 fight boxing career that has lasted for 17 years. His life story will surely one day be the subject of a film or best selling novel as he has lived life on the edge and faced up to demons of drug addiction, before finding God in 2002 and turning his life around. (more…)

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Super lightweights Victor Ortiz and Marcos Maidana faced off at a press conference today in advance of their world championship bout on Saturday at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles.Victor Ortiz: I’m ready and prepared. I came to win and I know that the fight will be very tough, however I trained too hard and too long to leave this belt behind.Marcos Maidana: I came very well prepared. The loss in my last fight did not affect me. In fact, losing is not on my mind. I respect Victor very much, however, I came to win and I hope to return to Argentina with the title.

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Although a world title will be on the line, it is the fighters who are garnering most of the attention. Most members of the media, and fight fans, seem to be paying more attention to the fighters in a bout that could be a candidate for fight of the year. Timothy Bradley defends his version of the 140 pound title when he squares off against former world champion Nate Campbell at the Agua Caliente Casino Resort & Spa in Rancho Mirage, CA. The bout, which takes place on Saturday, August 1st, will be televised on Showtime. Gary Shaw Productions and Thompson Boxing Promotions will promote the card. (more…)

IBF middleweight champion “King” Arthur Abraham (29-0, 23 KOs) will put his undefeated record and world title on the line against world ranked Mahir “Lion” Oral (25-1-2, 10 KOs) this Saturday in a special prime time edition of ShoBox: The New Generation on SHOWTIME® at 9 p.m. ET/PT (same day, tape delay). With just two days to go until the world championship fight, Abraham and Mahir caught up with SHOWTIME to discuss the fight, their opponents and their plans for the future. The site of the scheduled 12 round world championship fight is Abraham’sninth IBF title defense. Here’s what the fighters had to say… (more…)

David Higgins of Duco Events Ltd is the promoter of the David Tua vs Shane Cameron heavyweight bout that will be held at The Pavilion in Hamilton, New Zealand on October 3rd. Higgins talks to Fightnews and explains why the Tua vs Cameron bout is being billed as the Fight of The Century in New Zealand and will be televised on Sky pay-per-view throughout New Zealand and that Australia should almost certainly have access through Main Event pay-per-view. (more…)

Boxing fans, get ready to climb “Through the Ropes” with the #1 boxing news radio show hosted by award winning boxing writer Marc Lichtenfeld! This week’s guest is Joseph “King Kong” Agbeko. Call or email your questions to ttropes@earthlink.net. Through The Ropes airs live coast to coast on Thursday nights from 9:00 – 10:00 ET on 75 affiliates of the Sports Byline USA Broadcast Network, including great radio stations like KSHP 1400 AM in Las Vegas and WNSR 560 AM in Nashville. The one-hour show will also be heard on American Forces Network, Sportsbyline.com and Fightnews.com. Fightnews readers can listen live by clicking here tonight at 9:00 p.m. ET.